To meet Los Angeles' sustainability plan and reduce greenhouse gas emissions—60% by 2035 and 80% by 2050—the City Council is looking for ways to reduce the use of natural gas in buildings located within the city.

On Feb. 6, it gave the city Building and Safety Dept. 90 days to develop recommendations, including such measures as converting buildings using natural gas to electricity produced by renewable sources.

The department also should look at replacing gas in thermal heating loads, water heating and cooking in new buildings, the City Council resolution said.

The council also directed the Water and Power Dept. to set aggressive 2028 and 2038 certification requirements for new buildings that would align with the city's greenhouse reduction target.

Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Los Angeles, and the city in 2015 set a target to reduce energy use per square foot by 25% by 2025 and 30% by 2035. The city has one of the most comprehensive energy-efficiency laws for existing buildings in the U.S.

In its second annual report for 2016-2017 on the accomplishments of the 2015 Los Angels Sustainable City Plan, Los Angeles said it had exceeded its goal of avoiding 1,250 GW hours of electricity through energy efficiency and reduced usage by 1,328 GWh.

The city is well on its way to meet its target to reduce energy use 15% through energy efficiency by 2020, according to the report.

The city also has met its target to create a benchmarking policy to monitor and publicly disclose building energy use and to develop a policy package to address energy consumption in the city's largest public and private buildings.